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Councillor to study London road tax

One of Mayor David Miller's key political appointees will be in London, England next week to learn more about the city's controversial congestion tax.

By jim byersStaff Reporter

Tues., Feb. 20, 2007

One of Mayor David Miller's key political appointees will be in London, England next week to learn more about the city's controversial congestion tax.

Miller has distanced himself from talk of a similar tax here, but Councillor Brian Ashton, Miller's pick to head council's planning and transportation committee and one of council's picks for the Greater Toronto Transit Authority, says Toronto has to keep its options open.

"We have to get more juice out of the transportation lemon in Toronto," Ashton told the Star. "London's taken some comprehensive approaches. They're often heralded as the one major city that's introduced congestion taxes." Ashton said he's to be briefed on the congestion tax by London's deputy mayor.

"I want to learn about the congestion tax. Why was the public accepting of it? What was the level of congestion that triggered the need for that type of tax? We think we have congestion here but maybe we haven't reached that level yet."

Environmentalist David Suzuki last week raised the issue of a congestion tax in a meeting with Miller and city councillors, while GTTA chair Rob MacIsaac has made similar comments.

"London has a congestion pricing system that is reporting great success," MacIsaac told a transportation panel last month. "You want to bring your car downtown, you pay for the privilege. Will we be discussing that? Absolutely. We'd be foolish not to look at it."

Ashton said yesterday the GTTA wouldn't be doing its job if it didn't look at congestion taxes, road tolls and other so-called road-pricing measures.

"Even automobile drivers know that there's a crisis coming," he said.

"We've got serious breakdowns in our transportation networks. It's also a social mobility issue; people need to move about effectively to gain employment."

London drivers are charged the equivalent of about $20 per day to enter the central city. Ashton said he's told the tax has done wonders to clear roads in the city core.

"They found that it drove people onto the buses, because the buses could suddenly move," he said. "It's something I'd like to learn more about."

Congestion taxes and other measures that could improve Toronto's smog problems and help fight global climate change are to be discussed today at a meeting of the parks and the environment committee, which will hear from environmental leaders as it develops a proposed climate change policy that council could adopt this spring.

Miller talked about tolls in his 2003 mayoral campaign but was harshly criticized and dropped the idea. In his campaign last year, the mayor said he doesn't think tolls are fair to those who live in areas with poor public transit. Tolls also would be unfair if they were brought in only on certain roads and not across the region, he said.

The mayor has said the GTTA should look at the idea of congestion taxes but cautions that only the city of Toronto would have the power to implement one within the city. He also has said such a tax wouldn't get at the real problem areas, which are suburban regions lacking in public transit.

Miller told the Star last fall the city could consider a tax on cars that use parking lots downtown or at the North York city centre, where public transit is good. But he said such a plan would have to be part of an overall attempt to clean up the environment and that such taxes wouldn't be set up just to raise money.

The mayor has repeatedly said raising the gas tax would be the easiest way to encourage people to leave their cars at home.

Ashton said the city and the newly constituted GTTA, which will meet for the first time next month, have to look at a comprehensive transportation plan.

"The public isn't stupid," he said. "They know if they make certain sacrifices there will be a reward. It could be that your job doesn't move to Calgary. It could be that your kids' asthma is less severe."

Ashton said the city can't afford not to take action.

"If we can't get people living outside the city into Toronto to work, then our businesses will start moving," he said.

"If we can't move products cheaply enough the prices go up. If people sit in traffic idling in their cars then Mother Nature dies."

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